


The Day Hades Said No

by fandom_susceptible



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Absent Annabeth, Angry Clarisse, But if I add their tags, Clarisse is basically an army, F/M, M/M, Monsters, Nico and Will centric, Percy Being an Idiot, Tags don't seem that way, Temporary Character Death, spoilers galore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-11-06 06:51:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11030901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandom_susceptible/pseuds/fandom_susceptible
Summary: How did he even get into these situations?  How did he get into these situations with two children of the Big Three and a daughter of Ares and no Annabeth, for Apollo's sake!?Oh yeah, the son of Poseidon's an idiot and the daughter of Ares - spoke for itself.Sometimes Will really hated his friends.But he learns to really love his future godly-father-in-law.





	The Day Hades Said No

**Author's Note:**

> So I got a request to make this story longer/fuller from a friend, so here's an expanded version. If you read this fic before 5/30/2017, aka thirtieth of May 2017, there's a lot more to it now.

     "C'mon, Neeks." Percy grinned as Nico glared at him. "I have to go clean up the beach outside the camp with _Clarisse_ , I've gotta have somebody along, and Annabeth's in California with her dad!  Pleeaase?"

     "No." Nico said flatly.

     Percy immediately turned to the son of Apollo that Nico had been watching in the infirmary. "Will!  My buddy, my man!"

     "He's my man." Nico piped up irritably.

     Will laughed. "And you've got nothing to worry about, Death Boy.  You even ate properly today.  Bonus points." He shot Nico the bright, sun god smile. "And I'm sorry, Percy, if Nico's not going, I'm not going.  Who knows when he'll take off again?  He spends most of his time in the Underworld anyway, I'm not gonna pass up a day with him up here in a reasonable environment for the living."

    Nico shrugged, utterly unbothered by Will's pointed statement.

     Percy groaned. "Guys, seriously, it's _Clarisse_ , I'm gonna die."

     "Aren't you doing it on the _beach_ , Seaweed Brain?" Nico asked, annoyed.

     The son of Poseidon glared at him. "Okay, yeah.  And okay, yeah, maybe I stopped Ares with the ocean, but that's beside the point.  I've already pissed off Ares like a dozen times.  I don't need to kill his daughter too.  Besides, we're actually starting to get along since the Battle of New York, I don't wanna set that back too far, but if we're alone I guarantee you we'll try to kill each other."

     "So you want the son of _Hades_ to come with you." Nico said, looking at him as if he were the dumbest idiot he'd ever met.

     Percy sighed overdramatically. "Pleeaase?  If you guys are around we'll be able to rein things in!"

     Will sat down beside Nico in the waiting bench and settled an arm easily behind his boyfriend. "You know, we could help." He said mildly. "I mean, it'd get you out of camp for a while.  I know you don't like the crowds.  And I guess Percy's kind of a crowd-" He ignored the vocal protest "-but it wouldn't be that bad, right?  Plus you can talk swords with Clarisse."

     Nico looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Do you want to go?"

     "I want to stay with you." Will said honestly. "But I also kinda don't want Percy and Clarisse to restart their old feud now that they're older and deadlier."

     The son of Hades sighed. "Okay.  Fine, Percy, we'll come."

     "Yes!" Percy fist-pumped triumphantly. "Let's go!"

     "What, now?"

     "Yeah I was supposed to be out there like five minutes ago, come on!"

     As they followed him, Will commented dryly, "Annabeth is like ninety percent of his time keeping, isn't she?"

     "Just ninety?" Nico replied just as dryly.

 

     An hour later, Will could practically sense his father in the beating sun on the beach.  Of course he supported cleaning the beach, and often did so, but noon on a wide open, very hot beach, was not a nice time to be out.  It was _January_ , there was no way it was supposed to be this hot.  He couldn't help but wonder if he'd done something to offend the sun god.

     As it turned out, Percy was right.  With Nico and Will around, Clarisse had actually managed to be relatively civil, for a daughter of Ares.  She still ribbed Percy mercilessly, but it seemed to be less mean-spirited.  They weren't friendly by any means, but it seemed they were actually learning to tolerate each other.  Privately Nico thought it might be that they shared the same fatal flaw, given that he knew Percy's and not Clarisse's.

     Suddenly, Percy stopped and looked around. "You guys hear that?"

     "Hear what, fish boy?" Clarisse asked, straightening as well.

     "Never mind, it was the fish.  Uh, something spooked them." He peered out at the water. "Must be a sea monster.  As long as you guys don't go too close to the water, you won't even have to fight it."

     A small jolt of alarm went down Will's spine. "Uh, Percy?  If the _sea monster_ has noticed us, how long do you think it'll take the land monsters?" In the silence that followed they all realized there actually was complete silence - no birds, no bugs, nothing.  Will looked at the group in growing horror. "Oh, gods.  Two children of the Big Three in one place with no protection."

     Nico muttered something that might have been a curse word in Italian.  Percy grimaced.  Clarisse glowered. "Let 'em come." She growled.

     "As you wish . . ."  A hiss came from Will's left, in the dunes, and a dracanae slid out, followed by several more of her kind.

     The four demigods instantly readied themselves for battle, but before anyone could attack, a roar alerted them to another presence on their other side - a hydra.  With the sea monster in the water, five Scythian Dracanae on one side, and a hydra on the other, the demigods were completely hemmed in. "Only you!" Nico suddenly burst out. "Only you could have this bad of luck, Percy!  What did you do in your life to piss off Tyche that bad?"

     "We're demigods _and_ you and me are sons of the Big Three, what more do you need?" Percy replied.

     "Less talking, more fighting!" Clarisse snarled, and lunged at the first dracanae, who had hesitated upon seeing the hydra.  The dragon women were careful to keep the demigods between themselves and the hydra.  Without Luke/Kronos in control, they had no guarantee against the creature turning on them.

     Clarisse fought like she did everything - with passion and rage.  The sheer power she packed behind each thrust of her spear made even two dracanae fall back.  She _would not_ fail again, she _would not_ let them die like Silena.  She didn't even care if Ares was proud anymore, so long as none of the other campers died because she didn't give a battle everything she could.

     Percy danced between the dragon women and the hydra with Riptide, grinning manically as he always did in battle.  He was faster than Clarisse, now, after years of practice, and he took advantage of it, weaving his way around their small battlefield.  Brief slashes here and there built up over time.

     Nico was fighting in a similar fashion; quick, efficient, deadly.  His mouth was tightly shut and set in a frown, utterly silent as he dodged and stabbed at the hydra, trusting Clarisse and Percy to have his and Will's backs.  The worst thing that could happen here was if the hydra managed to bite someone.  He risked cutting off a head, wondering if his Stygian iron blade would be enough to actually keep it off.  It wasn't, though the severed head fell at his feet and the jaw kept twitching. He backflipped away from the next head's strike, landing on his hands and returning to his feet to draw his sword again before it could strike twice.

     Percy had frozen, gaping at him. "Di immortales!  Since when can you do that?"

     "Really, Percy!?  _Now_!?" Nico snarled.

     Percy didn't get a chance to answer before a dracanae spear stabbed into his leg.  He bit back his full howl and turned it into a roar as he whirled around to cut off her head with Riptide.  It rolled off to the side, but his leg muscle was nearly severed and he stumbled.  Will was at his side in an instant with ambrosia, shoving it into his shield hand, where the trash bag hung from his elbow. "Eat it," He said quickly before turning back to the battle, finding Nico covering his retreat.

     The arrival of two smaller hydras and several giants made things even worse.  Will darted between his fellow campers, trying desperately to fight and heal at the same time.  The four probably could have handled the dracanae and the original hydra.  Honestly, Percy and Nico or either one and Clarisse could probably have done it on their own.  But with the reinforcements, all targeting them?  They were hard put to stay alive.

     Clarisse had a deep cut on her cheek that had covered her right cheek in blood, but she seemed to gather strength from her injuries.  Roaring and stabbing, she was a whirlwind.  A brutal thrust through the torso of a dracanae and she stole the dying dragon woman's shield, twisting her spear as she yanked it free.  She kicked the fallen body in the chin, breaking her neck, before lunging for a giant, screaming a war cry.

     Percy had made the mistake of slashing through a giant's throat, which covered him in so much blood it was nigh impossible to tell if he was injured.  If he was, it wasn't in his legs or sword arm, because he and Riptide had made quick work of several others since then.

    Nico was taking advantage of his smaller size to duck in between the giants' legs, cutting hamstrings and bringing them to their knees for a final blow to the head or neck from him or from Will.  The hydras were harder, as none of them had fire.

     Will ducked and stabbed wildly for the biggest hydra, missing by at least a foot.  He was a healer, not a fighter!  Sure, he could fight, but he preferred bows (thanks, Apollo)!  And being hemmed in by a swarm of various giants, hydras, and dracanae, with Percy, Clarisse, and Nico, was not helping matters!  He couldn't heal them and fight off the monsters at the same time, no matter how hard he tried.

     A weight suddenly flew into his side, making him stumble and not quite fall.  Sparing even a brief glance told him it had been Nico, thrown his way by a hydra. "Nico!" His boyfriend suddenly took most of his attention, for just an instant, to make sure he was just disoriented and not seriously injured.  Nico was on his feet in less than a second with his Stygian iron blade at the ready.

     That second was a second too long.  A stabbing, searing pain erupted from Will's back and chest.  He looked down, seeing the dracanae's spear lodged in it.  He automatically calculated how long he had to live.  It was a small number, which grew exponentially smaller when the spear was jerked back out, searing his chest on its way back through.  A choked gurgle rose from his throat and he crumpled to the ground.  He vaguely heard screaming, metal clashing - the battle wasn't over.  He had to help.  He couldn't get up.  A shriek rose above the others, enough to raise the dead . . .

 

* * *

 

     Percy and Clarisse both raised stolen shields and risked looking over their shoulders at the shriek.  Nico was clearly the source.  The ground shook as he shrieked and skeletons clawed their way up through the sand.  Several of the monsters balked at first in shock, but lunged again after a moment.  More just kept coming.  Nico's dark eyes seemed almost solid black and he screamed again as he threw himself for the hydra, slashing at it furiously.

     "Nico, no!  They'll just -" Percy started, blocking a stab without even thinking.

     The sun's rays seemed to intensify selectively, glinting off of Nico's gleaming black blade, heating it so much that it literally set fire to the hydra's flesh as he slashed through it.  In moments all ten heads had been removed and the creature stabbed and slashed several times for good measure.  The dracanae who had killed Will was the next to fall, burned and cut into unrecognizable pieces.

     Skeletons just kept coming, rising to tear through the giants, the dracanae.  Nico killed the other two hydra in the same manner, his sword setting fire to them.  Percy and Clarisse were left dodging his skeletons and providing only minimal help as the son of Hades utterly destroyed what monsters remained.  For once vocal, he was screaming obscenities at the monsters, mixing his languages.  What was English was a good indicator that the rest was even uglier.

     Nico tore through them, barely seeing them.  The image burned in his eyes was the one behind him, the one he was defending.  The golden body crumpled on the ground behind him, Camp Half-Blood T-shirt ruined, a hole through his chest.  The hydra fell first only because he was still just lucid enough to defend his back.  The dracanae who had killed his _amato_ paid far more dearly.

     Her spear arm was slashed off at the elbow, with what must have been Apollo's gift setting fire to the stump.  He knocked her shield aside as if it weighed nothing, shrieking a battle cry as he drove toward her, not playing, but torturing.  Her shoulders, her serpent tails, those were slashed beyond use.  He drove his sword into her stomach, then her chest, twisting it, listening to the shriek with grim satisfaction, but he didn't stop.  He slashed the body into unrecognizable pieces before it finally registered that she was dead, it was over for her.

     His anger?  Far from over.  If these monsters hadn't attacked, Will would have been able to handle _one_ dracanae.  He whirled and lunged back toward the other hydra with a roar of fury.  He tore through them, skeletons still battling at his side.  He couldn't have even explained when he called them.  He wasn't conscious of calling more.  But they kept coming, being torn apart but not before doing damage.  He could feel them almost as extensions of himself, knowing where they were, what they were doing.  He used them as a small, well-organized army, wreaking destruction on the monsters.

     The colors of fire were all that dominated the death king's vision.  The red of rage and blood, and the oranges and golds that belonged to Will.  He knew he was screaming, he couldn't help it.  He screamed and cursed and ranted at the monsters who had taken Will from him.  He'd lost his mother, he'd lost Bianca, he'd never had a chance at Percy.  And now, his one great chance at happiness, his ray of sunshine, snuffed out like a candle by a dracanae.

     He became aware that there was nothing left to fight.  He was standing over Will again.  He went to his knees, placing shaky hands, black with various colors of blood, on the body, cold, unnaturally cold.  A son of Apollo should never be that cold.  He curled over, unable to stop a sob as pain lanced through his chest, his heart. "Will, gods, I'm so sorry." He sobbed.

     Percy and Clarisse exchanged glances.  Even Percy hadn't seen Nico lose control that way before, and both were spooked, not so much by the skeletons, but by the son of Hades' rage.  Percy wondered if what had happened with the sword was thanks to Apollo, or if it had to have been Hephaestus, given that Hephaestus was the god of fire.  Apollo couldn't cause fire, could he? Another sob from Nico made him grimace at himself as he remembered the situation.

     "Are we doing something?" Clarisse muttered to him.

     "Why are you asking me?" Percy whispered back, as both watched awkwardly.  Will was a friend, sure, at least to Percy, but neither of them had quite adjusted into grief yet, rather still in shock from everything that had just happened.

     "Death boy is your friend, fish for brains!"

     Before Percy could retort, the ground began to shake again. "Oh gods, what now?"

 

* * *

 

 

     Persephone chuckled. "There he goes again." The queen and king felt the shiver of the Underworld that signaled when Nico was summoning skeletons. "I wonder why?  He wasn't on any quests today, it was supposed to be fairly quiet."

     "The lives of my children are rarely quiet." Hades observed.

     His wife pursed her lips but didn't have time to reply before the throne room doors opened.  A soul slipped inside - a demigod, by its color, a child of Apollo.  It - he - stopped upon seeing them, as if only just realizing where they were.  But then he tentatively came toward them. "Uh, hi." He said awkwardly. "I thought maybe I should say something?  I mean, knowing you and all?"

     Hades went very still. "Oh Hades no." He turned to open his "window" to the upper world with a wave of his hand and saw Nico hunched over a body, monsters slain all around him, skeletons still wandering around.  He didn't need sound to hear the scream of pain and anger Nico let loose toward the sky.

     A tiny part of him hoped Zeus would hear that.

     A much bigger part made him abruptly stand up. "Nope." He marched down off the dais and grabbed Will Solace by his shirt collar. "Nope, come on."

 

* * *

 

     The ground continued to shake.  Nico's skeletons trembled, stumbled, fell, and eventually returned to beneath the earth through the chasm that opened in the ground near them.  His father, the god of the dead, stormed above the surface and dropped something at his feet. "I found your boyfriend." He said flatly.

     Nico was shocked into silence, eyes wide, darting between his father and the body, which was restored before their eyes.

     Will took a shuddering breath and then opened his eyes. "Oh dear gods."

     "Will!" Nico exclaimed.

     "I'm - I'm okay, Death Boy." Will blinked up at Hades. "Uh, sir?  Is . . . is that allowed?  I mean . . . Persephone . . ."

     Hades rolled his eyes. "Persephone broke in and wouldn't leave.  I didn't have a problem with it, grew to like it.  As for you, golden boy, child of the sun, you are not allowed to make my son cry.  Stay.  And don't come back until he has come.  At that time we'll discuss your mutual options further.  Is that understood?" He folded his arms and glowered down.

     Both young men nodded meekly.  He gave a short, satisfied nod and began to walk away.  As he did, he heard Will ask quietly, "Did . . . did your dad just make me effectively immortal?"

     "Take advantage and Persephone gets to decide what happens next." He tossed over his shoulder before vanishing and closing the chasm behind him.

     Will looked at Nico.  Nico grimaced. "Just don't.  Thank the gods you're okay." He helped Will sit up and they exchanged a tight hug and a kiss.  When they pulled away the scowl was back. "But Percy and Clarisse won't be when I get my hands on them." He growled, turning to look over his shoulder.

     "Um, I'm glad you're okay, Will." Percy said honestly. "And I'd totally hug you, but right now I think running is a better idea, with that look on Nico's face."

     "How is it my fault?  It's you and fish boy that attracted them right to us!" Clarisse protested.

     Nico actually growled, wordlessly, before replying. "Because if you two had been watching our backs, I wouldn't have fell, and Will wouldn't have been stabbed from the side I couldn't defend.  There's _four of us_.  Neither he nor I should have had an opening!"

     Something unidentifiable flashed across Clarisse's face and she looked away. "I'm sorry." She said gruffly.

     Will squeezed his boyfriend's shoulder. "Nico.  She tried.  They both did.  It's nobody's fault.  We're demigods, these things happen."

     Nico turned around and hugged him again, burying his face in Will's neck. "Never go that cold again." He whispered.

     "I won't, angel." Will whispered back.  He mouthed "go back" to Percy and Clarisse, and the two obeyed, casting glances back.  Once they were gone he held Nico tightly and let himself cry, venting the sheer physical and mental shock of death.  He could feel the wetness on his shoulder and in his hair from Nico's tears, feel the shivers in the smaller body as he was sure Nico could feel his.

     After what felt like hours but not long enough, Nico pulled away, just enough to see him, shifting closer so their legs were tangled beneath them to satisfy his need for closeness. "Thank the gods you're okay." He whispered.

     A vibration in the ground below them had him rolling his eyes as Will gave a weak smile. "Thank _Hades and Persephone_ you're okay." Nico corrected himself.  He leaned his forehead on Will's and took a deep, shaky breath, letting it out slowly. "I couldn't think without you." He whispered.

     "It's okay, Nico.  I'm here." Will kissed his nose, smiling weakly at the face Nico made, before glancing around. "Oh, Nico.  Di immortales . . . did you do this?"

     Nico glanced around at the carnage, finally following Will's gaze, locked on the pieces of the dracanae that had killed him. "Yes." He admitted quietly. "I don't even remember summoning the skeletons.  I think your dad helped.  Everything I cut after you . . ." He shook his head. "After you died, everything I cut lit on fire.  He must have superheated the blade from the sunlight."

     Will frowned. "I don't think he can do that."

     "Have you befriended Hephaestus or done one of his kids a life-changing favor that isn't healing lately?" Nico replied flatly.

     Will chuckled, and winced.  Apparently Hades' restoration didn't extend beyond making sure he'd live. "Fair point . . . what are you doing?" Nico was digging in Will's own pockets, as if searching for something.  He produced the last square of Will's first aid ambrosia and held it up.

     "Did you take any earlier?" He asked.

     Will shook his head.

     "Then eat." Nico held it to his lips.  Will obeyed, enjoying the tenderness, the private caring Nico he loved so much and saw so rarely.  When he was done the pain in his chest eased somewhat.  Even ambrosia was no substitute for time.

     "Nico." He said after a moment of silence, placing a hand on his cheek, formerly so pale but tanning slowly as he spent more time on the surface again. "Are you okay?"

     Nico gave a watery-sounding laugh. "You just _died_ , Will, why are you asking if _I'm_ okay?"

     Will gave him a very serious look. "Because I just died." He said softly. "And you summoned a small army and tore ten monsters limb from limb.  You're seventeen, Nico, _seventeen_ , and your boyfriend's death is enough for - for this?" He spread his hands to include all the carnage around them. He tried to search Nico's face, but the slightly younger boy looked down. "Nico.  Angel, you know I care about you, I love you so much, but this is . . . I know how in control you are.  Your dad made sure I'd live.  I need to know if you're okay."

     "Ti amo." Nico muttered. "I'm . . . I'm okay, Will.  Now that you're back?  I'm okay.  I promise."

     Will looked him in the eye until he was sure.  Then he smiled softly. "I'm glad." He glanced up again. "We should probably get back to camp."

     Nico carefully untangled their legs and helped him stand up, still wincing a little at the slight pain in his chest.  He laced their fingers together and they held tight to each other's hand as they walked back up the beach toward Camp Half-Blood. "By the way." Will coughed nervously. "What exactly does ti amo mean?"

     Nico glanced at him, as if unsure if he was serious.  A slight blush came to his cheeks. "Say it again?"

     "Ti amo?"

     The Italian stopped and turned to face him.  He gave a rare, small smile, and reached up to kiss him.  As he drew away, he said quietly, "I love you too, you idiot."

     The meaning clicked and Will smiled immediately.  Nico didn't say I love you often, even when Will did, so always felt special from him. "Ti amo again then, Nico di Angelo."

     "Ti amo anche, sole." Nico replied, smiling a little wider at Will's bewilderment. "I love you too, sunshine.  Now let's go before Chiron sends out a search party."

**Author's Note:**

> I kinda wanted to add a bit more of Hades and Persephone once he gets back, something about how she approves, some light affection toward one another and toward Nico and Will, how they both like Will as a son-in-law. But it didn't really fit anywhere, so I'll just leave that concept here in the notes for you guys XD
> 
> Amato - beloved  
> Ti amo - I love you  
> Ti amo anche, sole - I love you too, sunshine


End file.
